UPDATE: It seems that former Bad Juju employees have been unexpectedly locked out of their work accounts and email, making them unable to update the site.
https://twitter.com/LadyAijou/status/606852259343953920
For their part, game developers on the service do still have access and are attempting to make their games "Invite Only" so that no future purchases can be racked up. A guide to do so has been posted by Dale Johnson on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/OverworldTheme/status/606864964129853440
The original article continues below.
Details are scarce this morning, but it seems that the troubled game distributor Desura is going bankrupt alongside their parent company Bad Juju Games and bundle offshoot Indie Royale. After reaching out to several sources, it seems like no one but Tony Novak, the top man at Bad Juju, was aware how severe problems were. The revelations this morning took several employees by surprise.
When attempting to get an official statement, I was told that the exact business dealings regarding the bankruptcy are currently tied up in the courts. As soon as an official statement is ready, we will hear more. However, with this going to court, the takeaway is that Desura as it is currently being run is no more.
Other employees went to Twitter to react to the news.
https://twitter.com/uncomplex/status/606473281097633792
https://twitter.com/indieroyale/status/606790554580602880
https://twitter.com/LadyAijou/status/606822062678753281
It isn't clear when or if Desura and Indie Royale will be taken down or what impact this will have on payments to developers - either those who have been waiting since last year or those in more recent bundles. Those who own games on the services are advised to download and make backups now. For developers still seeking out an alternative to Steam, itch.io and Humble seem to be the best alternatives.
As someone who has frequented Indie Royale and even did my own video series for a time on Desura games, I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say thank you to those who made Desura what it was. It was never perfect, but it was filled with unique offerings that always had charm, and served as the launching pad for many of the indies that are currently hitting Steam and Greenlight. TechRaptor will stay up to the minute and provide updates on the story as they occur.
